


A Lighthouse

by cosmic_llin



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Comfort Sex, Communication, Difficult Decisions, F/F, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-14 09:05:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19270084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmic_llin/pseuds/cosmic_llin
Summary: Deanna and K'Ehleyr bump into each other on a mission.





	A Lighthouse

**Author's Note:**

  * For [parcequelle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/parcequelle/gifts).



> Back in the ol' K'Ehleyr-never-died AU.

Deanna sometimes felt as though she’d been slowly, stealthily dragged into a diplomatic career through the back door.

Her mother had always hoped she’d follow in her footsteps in the grand tradition of the Fifth House, which had been outward-looking for centuries, representing Betazed to the rest of the galaxy. Deanna had resisted it.

‘I want to be in Starfleet!’ she’d insisted, young and determined.

She had wanted her father’s life, hazy on the details though she’d been – adventure, exploration, heroism. Her mother’s world was parties that went on too long, endless wrangling over schedules, paperwork, little finicky details.

But then Starfleet had turned out to have its share of paperwork and details. And Deanna herself had turned out to have something of a knack for cross-cultural communication.

And now here she was, Starfleet’s most sought-after first contact specialist.

There were certainly much worse ways to turn into her mother.

The current mission was urgent – a new wormhole had opened near the Klingon border, and a ship had come through it.

In the years since the end of the Dominion War relations with the Klingons had been cordial. A team of diplomats and other specialists from both civilisations was being assembled with all possible speed.

After a hasty starbase transfer, Deanna was now on the small, fast vessel that would take some of those specialists right to the action. She’d found her quarters, settled in, and now she was making her way to the crew lounge to see who else was on the mission.

‘Well, well,’ said a voice behind her as she emerged into the corridor, ‘fancy meeting you here.’

The slight sarcasm in the voice was tempered by the feeling of genuine warmth and pleasure Deanna sensed.

‘Ambassador K’Ehleyr,’ she said. ‘I did wonder if you’d be here.’

They fell into step.

‘I heard about your work with the Kretho,’ K’Ehleyr said. ‘I was impressed.’

A compliment from K’Ehleyr was something to be cherished. She gave very few.

‘Thank you,’ said Deanna. ‘I was pleased with how it went.’

‘Pleased, _Sa'Hut-wIj_! I’d think you’d be ecstatic! I heard about it from everyone. You’ve earned the right to be insufferably smug, if you want to.’

‘Just the knowledge that I could be is reward enough,’ Deanna said primly.

K’Ehleyr laughed.

In the lounge, they got drinks and sat by the window. There were a few other specialists in there, and Deanna should probably have introduced herself around, but it had been too long since she and K’Ehleyr had caught up. She’d allow herself a little bit of selfishness.

‘How about you?’ she asked. ‘What’s new?’

‘Oh, Deanna, everything’s just the same as always,’ K’Ehleyr drawled. ‘Klingons are obstreperous, humans are ridiculous, and here I am right in the middle…’

‘Fabulous?’ Deanna suggested.

K’Ehleyr winked. ‘Cantankerous is more like it.’

There was something there, Deanna thought. She didn’t want to pry – even after years of acquaintanceship, K’Ehleyr liked to keep her distance – but there was some feeling very close to the surface. Some dissatisfaction, like an itch, or a high-pitched noise just on the edge of hearing.

She should leave well enough alone. She wasn’t here in her capacity as a therapist.

‘Do you mean that?’ she asked anyway, meeting K’Ehleyr’s eyes.

K’Ehleyr sighed. ‘Now, Deanna, I thought it was understood that this was the traditional pre-tryst banter. We never talk about feelings. Say something funny back and let’s pretend you never asked.’

‘All right,’ said Deanna peaceably. ‘But I warn you, most of the jokes I know are about feelings. Perils of the job.’

K’Ehleyr rolled her eyes. ‘I never had this trouble with Worf,’ she said. ‘If you were Worf, right now we’d be sitting in stoic silence looking out of the window.’

‘And can you honestly say that would be more fun?’

‘Yes,’ said K’Ehleyr petulantly. ‘Oh, all right, no. Worf has many good points but his conversation is not one of them.’

K’Ehleyr churned with emotion – Deanna was trying not to get close, but in spite of that she could hear the clash of guilt, defiance, anger, sadness and confusion like a thundering ocean, with K’Ehleyr like a little rowboat in the middle of it all. And she could feel her need to escape from it, the need for something that would give her at least a moment’s rest.

Deanna tilted her head, smiled. ‘You know,’ she said, ‘we can just skip this part, if you like.’

* * *

It had been a while since they’d done this, but Deanna still remembered how K’Ehleyr liked to touch and be touched – how her breath quickened when Deanna pulled her closer and kissed her fiercely, how her eyes closed when Deanna’s tongue drew patterns on her skin, how her fingers tangled in Deanna’s hair and held on tight.

K’Ehleyr remembered what Deanna liked, too.

* * *

‘It’s just… I don’t know, it’s just everything,’ said K’Ehleyr, some time later.

Why spend time coaxing people to bare their souls when a post-sex sense of intimacy would do the job? Deanna hadn’t exactly intended this outcome, but she was ready for it. She turned to look at K’Ehleyr.

‘What do you mean?’ she asked.

‘I mean… I don’t know what I’m doing with my life. Is any of this really what I want?’

‘Well, is it?’

Deanna nuzzled K’Ehleyr’s jaw to undercut the sudden tension.

‘Oh…’ K’Ehleyr said. ‘Mmm… don’t stop. I… I don’t know, Deanna – do I seem like the diplomatic type to you? I don’t have your tact or your poise…’

‘Perhaps not, but you have your own style,’ said Deanna, into the crook of K’Ehleyr’s neck. ‘You get things done. You’re good at your job.’

‘I know. But I’m not sure I like it anymore. I’m not sure it ever quite fit. It just… seemed so obvious. Half-Klingon, half-human… back when I started that was rarer, and I’d spent so much of my childhood trying to bridge the gap, it only seemed natural to do it professionally. But I’m getting tired and it all begins to feel so… pointless.’

Deanna sat up, and gently pulled K’Ehleyr’s head into her lap so that she could stroke her hair.

‘Go on,’ she said.

‘I just don’t know what else there is. It feels like it’s too late to start something new.’

‘So don’t. Stop this, and don’t start anything else. Just see what happens next.’

‘Announce that I’m giving up a decades-long diplomatic career to… what… wander about doing nothing much?’

‘Call it a sabbatical, if it makes you feel better. Say you’re going on a research trip. It’s nobody else’s concern.’

‘Could I really do that? Just… throw it all away?’

‘You’re not throwing anything away. The work you’ve already done has served its purpose. Changing directions won’t undo that good.’

K’Ehleyr turned over and growled. ‘Stop being sensible.’

‘All right,’ said Deanna, and leaned down to bite K’Ehleyr’s nose.

* * *

The mission was a success, thanks in no small part to Deanna and K’Ehleyr’s combined efforts.

‘I guess I’ll see you around,’ said K’Ehleyr, as they parted at the airlock on their separate journeys back.

‘Will you really?’ Deanna asked.

K’Ehleyr shrugged. ‘Too soon to say.’

‘All right.’ Deanna nodded. ‘It was good to see you, K’Ehleyr.’

‘You too, Deanna.’ K’Ehleyr bent down a little to kiss Deanna’s cheek – a surprisingly tender gesture from her, in public at least. Deanna almost blushed.

K’Ehleyr turned and headed down the gangway. Deanna watched her go, and then carried on towards home.


End file.
